If you have ever heard of Innespace Productions, then you probably know they make the Seabreacher, a submersible watercraft. You’ve likely also seen some videos of it in action, cruising on the water, diving under like a submarine, or launching out like an underwater-to-air missile.
Innespace Seabreacher occasionally posts videos to its social media pages showing its unique vessel. Many of their posts show the Seabreacher operating, show it’s many design options, or some other similar videos or pictures. Not their Facebook post done back in April of this year for their tribute to America and Memorial Day.
Our attention is definitely captivated in the beginning moments of the video when we see someone riding a Sea Doo holding what appears to be a case of explosives or radioactive material. It makes us wonder what is going to happen. By the time the Seabreacher launches out of the water with the woman shooting at the Sea Doo rider, we know this is merely a comical video.
As the action continues, we begin to wonder what we are doing with our lives as our cursor is on the exit button but our brain does not tell our finger to push it. Maybe we want to see what the Seabreacher can do next, or what happens to that yellow bomb case at the end. Whatever it is, we can’t help but laugh at the excessive and unreal movie-like action.
“Oh, the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry”, is a modernized translation of from the original verse “The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men, Gang aft agley,” taken from To A Mouse, On Turning Her Up In Her Nest With The Plough by poet Robert Burns, yet still holds true today. As much as we planned and schemed for July, providence and luck changed our course, needing us to be light on our feet. Cancelled road trips, poor weather and conflicting schedules made the middle month tough for us to provide our readership the content we had planned, but without knowing so and by the looks of things, it truly didn’t matter.
The Watercraft Journal has continued in its efforts to expand its readership into two branches of the sport: classic and standup with technical articles, news and announcements of new products. Sure, there’s been no loss for those more mainstream enthusiasts looking to enjoy the most out of their time on the water, but we wanted to make an effort to welcome those who might not otherwise consider The Watercraft Journal for such content. Additionally, we’ve continued in publishing two new original videos to our YouTube channel each month (not just rehashing old footage from events that happened 20 years ago).
Lastly, we are the only outlet continually striving to provide its readers the freshest, most comprehensive race and event coverage from across the industry. It’s no easy task, and while we acknowledge that racing might not be everybody’s cup of tea, we do know that nobody else has nor will step up to the challenge of doing so – so we will. Full recaps, galleries full of dozens upon dozens of high resolution images and even up-to-date results (when possible) are published first and often exclusively at The Watercraft Journal. Combined with in-depth product reviews of the latest in industry-related products, interviews, and much, much more, and you’ve got the world’s most popular PWC magazine. Bar none.
July 2017
Welcome To The Party, Pal
We’re watching a change in our readership. Interestingly, this change – which by all intents and purposes should radically alter our total monthly readership, hasn’t – has been from mainly desktop and laptop computers to smart phones and tablets. This means that we’re maintaining the same amount of monthly day-in, day-out readers, but those who stop in for a quick peek at the latest news, reviews and more, and bounce back out. It’s not a bad thing, it’s simply a change in behavior as recording via the shifting metric. So what does that mean? It means that we still have the interesting, compelling and entertaining content that thousands of enthusiast want, they just are using different means to see it.
July 2017
Total number readers: 39,373*
Total number of articles read: 67,390
Percentage of new readers: 70.5%
*This number is considered equal to an individual sale of a single copy of a magazine.
Yippie-Ki-Yay
There’s a lot happening in the way of media these days. Did you know that Discovery Channel just bought TEN (The Enthusiast Network), publisher of Hot Rod Magazine, Motor Trend, and others? Did you also know that nearly 90-percent of all those magazines are in the red, meaning they operate at a loss? So why buy them, you ask? Because TEN also has a very vibrant subscription-based video production channel, producing dozens of half hour and full hour programs each and every month. So what does the acquisition mean for the everyday Joe who likes reading about muscle cars and hot rods? The future seems uncertain. For the watercraft enthusiast, we’ve seen the tide change from monthly printed magazines to daily digital content, but we see the need to change too. People aren’t spending the time to sit down and read a multi-page technical article (like they should). Rather, they pop-in and bounce-out as they glance at their phones. Nevertheless, we still see a value in the written word and continue to produce when others fail.
News articles published in June 2017: 25
Feature articles published in June 2017: 12
Total feature word count: 9,106 words*
News articles published in July 2017: 22
Feature articles published in July 2017: 14
Total feature word count: 11,884 words*
*When this number is translated to print publication standards equals a 112-page magazine. Please note that this number does not include an average of two uniquely-written news articles published daily.
Does It Sound Like I’m Ordering a Pizza? The Watercraft Journal is striving to offer the personal watercraft enthusiast a diverse variety of content – sure, we offer the same industry leading event coverage, product evaluations, hands-on watercraft reviews, and more – but now we’re dishing out double doses of uniquely-created YouTube videos, as well as providing you with access to PWCTrader’s search engine of used and pre-owned personal watercraft as well as our own T-shirts and decals in our all-new store. If that’s not enough, we’re constantly flooding your Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram feeds, and your inbox with our weekly newsletters. If you’re not already following us, subscribed to our channels, or otherwise, you’re purposely ignoring us.
Now I Have a Machine Gun. Ho-ho-ho.
As we said before, there’s a big change coming on the horizon. Frankly put, The Watercraft Journal‘s zero-subscription, free-to-all digital format radically upset the turnip truck. We promptly stamped out what print magazines were left. Those digital outlets that attempted to keep pace soon fell away – be it for a lack of professionalism, endurance or simply ability to consistently generate quality content. Yet, even at as we are considered the cutting edge of personal watercraft publishing, we’re looking beyond ourselves and seeing what we need to do to keep up with trends that have yet to hit our shores. And that is smart business thinking. If you’re a forward-thinking company we suggest you do the same – or better yet, partner with us, and we’ll do the hard work for you! Companies who partner with The Watercraft Journal and actively engage in an aggressive media campaign, find almost instantaneous results. Those who join but do little to nothing might see some marginal success, but nothing like the former. To help you reach a broader audience of would-be customers and spread the word about your brand, product and services, The Watercraft Journal must be a resource, a tool in building your brand. If you’re ready for that, email [email protected] about advertising your company in the single-most popular PWC magazine today.
[All photography courtesy of Mrs.RSRacing Images. Full-sized originals can be purchased directly HERE. – Ed.]
Beautiful weather and big surf met the participants of the traveling road show called Pro Watercross Tour in Atlantic City, NJ on the weekend of July 22-23. And, as usual, the large summer beach crowds came to enjoy the big air and competitive racing. Thanks to the City, the event site was moved down the boardwalk to a much more accommodating pit parking lot that was closer to the actual beach than in previous years. It was apparent too that the entire Pro Watercross Tour staff had worked hard to put on a great event for both the fans and the racers.
Pro-Am Ski Stock was the largest Pro class and it was filled with crafty veterans! Jimmy Wilson had them covered on borrowed property! Sammy Nehme lent Wilson his ski for the weekend and the Broward Motorsports ride seemed to suit Wilson as he went 1-1-1 for a clean sweep for the weekend overall. Matthew Richuk looked fast as well but his performance may have been overshadowed by controversy as the Pro Watercross staff mis-scored Rick Sherker in the class giving the second overall spot to Richuk.
Sherker who legitimately went 2-2-2 on the weekend was unfortunately scored incorrectly but the time restraint rules prevented the error to be corrected by Pro Watercross. (According to their rule book competitors have 30 minutes after results are posted on the pit board at the event to dispute scoring issues). The aftermath was a bit ugly as most of the competitors agreed that Sherker deserved the second place overall finish and purse money as he had earned it.
Pro Watercross’ own Nicholas Handler told The Watercraft Journal, “Yes, our scorer did make a mistake and we have reached out to Mr. Richuk and Rick Sherker last week to resolve the matter at hand. Right now, we are waiting to hear back from the Richuks’ to finalize and correct the incident, and we will be making an official statement ASAP.” As the time of this writing, the Richuks had not stepped up to correct the situation.
Pro-Am Ski GP was dominated by Jimmy Wilson who went 1-1-2 for the overall. But some great rides by Kawasaki’s Craig Warner yielded a Moto 3 win and a second overall. Mr. Consistent Rick Sherker took the last spot on the podium going 3-2-3 for the weekend.
Big waves equaled big air for the guys in Pro-Am Runabout Box Stock and the races were exciting.Troy Snider continued his winning ways as the overall winner despite not winning an actual Moto this weekend. The Moto wins were split between 3 competitors with Dylan Osborn winning Moto 1, Daniel Wagner winning Moto 2, and Jeff Dyckowski taking Moto 3. Dyckowski finished second overall with a 3-3-1 and Osborne took third overall going 1-4-3.
Dylan Osborn had a great weekend in Pro-Am Runabout GP covering the field by taking all three Moto wins for the overall. Jeff Dyckowski went 2-2-3 for second overall. And Chris Caputo went 3-3-2 for third overall.
The Sport classes continue to be the largest classes and a fan favorite as the racing is typically close and exciting! In Sport GP it was Keith Dill on his Wade Chapin tuned blaster that was able to survive the big surf going 1-2-3 for the overall. Christian Daly had a fast HX but was only able to muster a 2-3-2 for second overall. Defending Champ Sam Nehme had a rare mechanical issue in Moto 1 that squashed his chances at the overall, but Moto 2 and 3 wins enabled him to at least round out the podium on the last spot for the weekend.
In Sport Stock it was Christian Daly pulling out all the stops on his stock HX to go 1-1-1 for the overall while Eric Gabriel muscled his HX to a 2-2-2 for second overall. The rest of field had to deal with the big surf conditions and attrition took its toll. Keith Dill was able to be most consistent for the third place on the overall podium going 5-3-5.
In Amateur Runabout SS it looked like Justin Taylor had the field covered bagging wins in Moto 1 and Moto 2 with Joe Johnson going 2-2 and wining Moto 3 for second overall. Michael Borges rounded out the last spot on the podium with a steady 3-3-3 finish for the weekend.
Columbian-Canadian and adopted US friend and racer Juan Rada had his hands full with Jason Lester and Michael Borges in the Amateur Runabout Box Stock class but again, consistency over the 3 Moto format was his saving grace. Rada put together a 2-1-3 weekend for the overall while Lester was able to pilot his Yamaha to 2 Moto wins and a 1-7-1 to take third overall. Michael Borges quietly snuck into the second place overall position with a 3-2-2 finish. It was all Eric Gabriel in IROC GP, which has become a regular occurrence in the class.
The Amateur Ski Stock class welcomed back Team Faith’s Kelly Smith who was returning from a serious back injury he sustained while racing Arenacross in the winter. Brett Underhill wasn’t giving anything to anyone and grabbed the holeshot and lead and win in Moto 1. While the 2 Team Faith riders Kelly Smith and Dawson Newby finished second and third respectively. But it was all Kelly Smith in Moto 2 as Underhill had to settle for second. Newby took another third in Moto 2.
The last Moto on Sunday would be an exciting one in this class as Kelly Smith jumped out to an early lead and Dawson Newby close in tow in second. Underhill was in third but made several valiant attempts to get by both Newby and Smith only to find himself swimming each time and coming from behind. He’s eventually finish third in the Moto, but up front on the last lap Dawson Newby made a late race charge at his teammate Smith to take the lead and eventual win. Smith took the overall with a 2-1-2, Underhill took second overall with a 1-2-3 and Newby took third with a 3-3-1.
Hayden Skellett continued to rack up the wins in the Jr Ski 10-12 class. His sister Taylor seemed to have the starts wired, but came up a little short going 3-3-3 for third overall. Sammy Nehme went 2-2-2 for second overall. Devon Farthing raced his way to the overall in the Jr. Ski Stock 13-15 class.
The IROC Stock class continues to grow as well and despite some regular competitors not making this round the field was healthy with new competitors to take their place. Current points leader and Champ Eric Gabriel stretched his Championship points lead by winning the overall going 1-3-1. Jason Lester put his RIVA sponsored Yamaha EX on the box with a consistent 2-2-2 run. And Team Faith’s Kelly Smith made his debut on a Spark in the class taking a Moto 2 win and putting together enough of weekend result to bring home third overall. In the only on-track collision of the weekend, Brian O’Rourke and Eric Degler got together in Moto 1 as they battled for second early on and it was reported that both guys sustained damage to their hulls that compromised the rest of their efforts for the weekend.
Other honorable mentions for the weekend include Tony Savage winning the overall in Veterans Runabout Box Stock and Sean Miles trading in his Sea-Doo Spark for the new Kawasaki 4-stroke where he won the overall in that class.
The weekend was filled with great racing, great spectator-ship, and great weather! And despite the rough seas, most of the racing community came together to help each other with holding and pulling each other out of the water. The camaraderie of the sport is unlike many and Watercross remains to be the obvious passion of many of the competitors and their families who continue to come support the sport. Next stop is Lake Hartwell, GA on August 12-13.
It had been the wettest summer yet. Constant rainfall had already cancelled one weekend ride, and now the annual GreenHulk MudBug was looking to fall as well. Levees had swollen past their emergency levels and even began to spill over their berms, shutting down much of the Delta region. A natural disaster was on the brink, and GreenHulk’s Jerry Gaddis had to make the difficult decision to postpone the year’s festivities. I had already packed for the weekend, so the sudden cancellation left me all dressed up with nowhere to go. That was when the email came through.
“Hey Kevin, it’s Greg Tate from The Aquaholics,” the letter wrote. “We’re going down to Jasper, Alabama for two days to ride on Lewis Smith Lake and think you should join us.” The three-fingered lake is a reservoir in northern Alabama, just off of the Sipsey Fork on the Black Warrior River. Created by Alabama Power as a result of the construction of the Lewis Smith Dam – one of the largest earthen dams in the eastern United States – Lewis Smith Lake as over 500 miles of shoreline, and The Aquaholics were raring to see every inch of it.
The Aquaholics are a self-described group of “elite jet ski riders that travel and tours the waters and bayous of the Southeast.” And while that might sound grandiose, the group I met were anything but haughty. Hailing from Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee, the group of two dozen riders ranged in age from their mid-40s to late-60s, and rode skis as diverse as a 20-year-old two-stroke Polaris to 310-horsepower Kawasaki Ultras. Tate had assured me that food and gas were plentiful on the lake and the weekend wouldn’t surpass 200 miles, so the need for extra gas and provisions was unnecessary.
Rather, it was expected to be a gorgeous weekend of clear skies, temperatures in the mid-80s, and mild wind in the afternoon. Smith Lake is also known for several attractions, including half a dozen waterfalls and plenty of cliff diving opportunities, including the infamous 70-foot Indian Head cliff. Unbeknownst to our group, two deaths had been reported where the victims just didn’t surface after their leap. Had I known beforehand, I might not have made the plunge before the crowd (and my 7-year-old daughter). A second spot was found a day later where most enjoyed leaping from a more suitable 6-foot ledge.
Surprisingly, as we ventured from one waterfall to the next, the flow was all but a trickle in most places despite the week’s worth of rainfall days previously. Nevertheless, we never missed a chance to idle through the showers, cooling ourselves in the brisk falls. Other notable features included the Smith Lake Mansion, a bizarre hodgepodge of art deco and hobbit-hole architecture styles. Lakefront homes ranged from fishing cabins to unmitigated estates, one wielding a 3-story waterslide that began up the hill above one home and all the way down into the lake. Although boat traffic was thick in places, the lake was large enough to allow plenty of room to maneuver around without thumping through too much chop.
Before heading home, we made two more stops: the first to Full Moon Bar-B-Q, an Alabama local chain loved by natives (and rightly so. The brisket is DEA Schedule 1 drug-level addictive); and second, to swing into a Piggly Wiggly for two cases of Grapico soda, which is the best-tasting grape soda ever. No journey into Alabama goes without managing to check these two achievements off my list. With full bellies, and the cooler restocked, I bid farewell to The Aquaholics and ventured back north towards the Mason-Dixon. It wasn’t the same as slipping beneath the hanging Spanish moss of the Louisiana bayou, but it was just as fun. …And just to prove it we made this video:
There’s not a whole lot of personal watercraft enthusiasts who longingly look back through the near half-century of PWC models with a sense of nostalgia the same way a car or motorcycle enthusiast might. But that’s not to say that there aren’t those who still enjoy saving an old school standup or sitdown from the scrapper when the opportunity arises. One such individual was Chris Busutil who rescued an ’82 Kawasaki JetSki JS440 from certain doom and rebuilt it into a gorgeous keeper.
“I started off with a non-running $200 JetSki (with a clean AZ title) that I found on a forum called ‘The Yuma Boat Exchange’ here in town,” Chris told The Watercraft Journal. “I wanted anther summer project. The guy said it sat on the side of his house for years – and it showed. It was in very bad shape! Everything on the ski was original but the engine. It was originally a 440 but it had a 550 engine dropped into the 440 hull. I loaded it up in the back of my truck and took her home knowing I was going to fully restore it.
“First thing I did when I got home was a compression test and got 0 psi in both cylinders. Right then and there I pulled the engine out.” Chris explained the the ski was spray painted 4 or 5 different colors in its time. “It was cracking and sun faded very bad! They painted over everything, it was a mess! I started stripping the ski down to nothing but a bare hull. My brother and I used aircraft paint stripper to take all the paint off.” From that point they started to sand down all the fiberglass. “I took off all the old turf and hood seal and found that it had some cracks in the nose.
“I fixed all the cracks with fresh fiberglass, then used Bondo for a smooth finish; and decided to fill in the gas cap hole for a smooth look. I used carbon fiber to fill that hole, then Bondo to finish it.” After completing all the bodywork, Chris took the ski to his father’s house for a fresh paint job. He explained, “My dad has been a paint and body man for over 40 years, he knows what he’s doing. He started going over and touching up anything I left behind. After he was happy with the hull he started primering. Next, he started the bottom in Jet Black and laid on four coats of clear.
“After it dried, we started on the top half.” Chris continued. “We laid a base coat of white and then yellow, called ‘Suzuki Daytona Yellow’. It looks very nice in the sun! And same as the bottom, he laid on another four coats of clear. After all the paint work was complete, he wet sanded and buffed for 2 days on the ski.” With the hull of the ski cleaned up and repainted, it was time to start on the powertrain. “Most of the parts came from the Facebook Kawasaki 550 JetSki group. Other parts are from eBay. It’s got 76mm Wiseco pistons, all new crank seals, a new flywheel, Westcoast manifold and pipe, Westcoast head with 23cc domes pushing 170psi, 38mm carb with a Blowsion tornado airfilter. Stock electronics.
“I went with the BlackTip Jetsports Retro Square traction mats in black and yellow to match my ski. I’ve always used Blacktip on all my skis and love it!” Chris noted. For steering, he explained, “Its got Blowsion 0-degree black bars with a Blowsion aluminum finger throttle. ODI lock-on grips and a lanyard-style kill switch. Under that is a bilge pump on/off switch. For the exhaust I’m running a Coffman water box with a polished exhaust elbow and a 2-inch exhaust tip from AutoZone. [laughs]”
Chris concludes, “The pump is a factory piece bored-out with a Solas 15.5 stainless prop, Westcoast ride plate and a Jetsport intake grate. Every nut and bolt has been cleaned up or replaced with stainless hardware. From start to finish, it took me 3 months and a total coast of $2,488.16.” As an end cap, Chris laughed, “It worth every penny in my book!” and we’d have to agree. He also included a very detailed price list of everything that went into the build:
The JetSkiShop’s Breakfast Club has been doing group rides and get-togethers for quite some time. If you’re not familiar with JetSki Shop, they are a dealer located in South East Queensland, Austraila. When they are not busy selling and maintaining Personal Watercraft, you can find them having fun with their “Breakfast Club.”
The club consists of a group of people who have a passion for riding. According to their website, they have morning departures, go out for an adventure on the water, and stop for breakfast on the way to their final destination. In the recent video on Vimeo, we see three friends from The Breakfast Club going out for a fun-filled day of adventure on their way from Southport to Hervey Bay on the Gold Coast.
The trio of guys traversed 406 Kilometers on their more-than 11 hour trip. Starting out, you can see that the guys were enjoying the wildlife, with lots of whale and dolphin spottings around South Stradbroke Island. The dolphins appear to be having just as much fun, keeping up with the Jet Skiers for about five minutes. Going through Moreton Island, they grab some breakfast on the go and maintain their club name.
You can tell they definitely like their Honda Skis but also aren’t opposed to other brands with there being a Yamaha in the mix on this ride. As they make their way north, and get closer to shore, the water turns clear blue. They make their way past Bribie Island and stop for lunch at 11am. Thumbs up and unanimous smiles show that these guys are definitely having a good day.
They continue north and by almost 3:30 pm, they are at Fraser Passage. By 5, they are finally at Hervey Bay Marina. Their final map definitely indicates they made the most of the trip, with lots of stops and photo shots. Sometimes these type of rides are the best. There’s nothing better than getting out on the water to ride with friends.
Black paint is the worst. Not because it isn’t menacing, but because it’s so stinking hard to keep clean. Black – especially, a really deep, reflective black – can reveal every swirl, scratch, smudge and waterspot in full infamy. And, as so many personal watercraft come in glossy black finishes, it’s becoming more and more difficult to retain that as-new showroom sheen. Waxes, polishes and quick cleaners abound in the market, but few applications have made the claims that the new Velocity Visions V3 Stealth Ceramic Coating does.
The cumulative result of a team of entrepreneurs, Velocity Visions formulated what they like to call “the new standard of cleaning, protection, and maintenance” for automotive, aeronautical, marine and powersports enthusiasts. Their detailing and restorative products have only recently been introduced to the personal watercraft industry, but have already picked up the attention of thousands, and earned distribution through the GreenHulk PWC Performance Store and RIVA Racing – especially for its hydrophobic, water-wicking ceramic coatings.
Above: We started our process by thoroughly cleaning our test subject ’17 Kawasaki JetSki SX-R 1500 with some Jet Renu PWC cleaner and a quick towel down.
Above: Velocity Visions supplies several microfiber towels to go with the three-stage application process. The blue towel goes with the Surface Prep and quickly removes any oils or contaminants on the ski’s surface.
With a handful of videos documenting how easily water beads and rolls off of treated watercraft, we thought it high time to try this miracle cure for ourselves. The Velocity Visions Powersports Ceramic Coating Kit (which includes the aforementioned V3 Stealth Ceramic Coating) is rather comprehensive, including a full battery of microfiber towels, applicators and treatments. The $79.99 kit includes:
4oz. of Velocity Visions Surface Prep
4oz. of Velocity Visions V1 Sealant
15ml of V3 Stealth Ceramic Coating
One applicator pad
Two suede application felts
One 300 gsm microfiber towel
Two 365 gsm microfiber towels
One 420 gsm microfiber towel
A detailed step-by-step instructional guide
Above: Velocity Visions’ V3 Stealth Ceramic Coating is applied to a small suede applicator that wraps around a foam pad. Only a few drops are needed per 3-foot surface area.
Above: It is of the utmost importance that once the Stealth Ceramic Coating is applied that it is removed within the prescribed 5-minute “flash” time. If left on too long to dry, the coating can harden and adhere with stubborn tenacity. And once removed, you’ll need to start all over again, so do it right the first time. Once applied and removed in the time allotted, give it 24-to-36 hours to cure.
The process of applying the V3 Stealth Ceramic Coating is not a quick job. You won’t be completing this chore in the space of an hour or two, but 24-to-36 hours. Because of the labor involved, we chose to use the smallest ski in our test fleet – our new 2017 Kawasaki JetSki SX-R 1500 – as our guinea pig. And since it was already pretty filthy, needing a wash anyways, we started there. A quick soap and scrub later, and we were ready to apply Velocity Visions’ Premium Surface Prep. Specifically designed to strip all polishes, contaminants and oils from the surface prior to the application of V3 Stealth Ceramic Coating, the Premium Surface Prep is gentle on skin (unlike heavy degreasers) but safely removes surface of oils, dirt, and dust.
With a clean surface, applying the V3 Stealth Ceramic Coating is where things get tricky. Velocity Visions provides a foam applicator that needs to be wrapped in a suede cloth. Applying a few drops of the Ceramic Coating to the suede, Velocity Visions instructs to wipe the coating from top-to-bottom across all surfaces, in an even back-and-forth motion. This is supposed to impregnate your ski’s porous gel coat and vinyl decals with the ceramic coating. We learned the imperiousness of removing the coating with the supplied microfiber towel within 5 minutes of its flashing. If left too long, the coating will harden, leaving a thick, discoloring layer that requires hours to remove, causing you to start all over again.
Above: A day later, we applied the final step; the V1 Protective Sealant. This easy-to-apply spray seals the ceramic coating and leaves a faint shine. Don’t be afraid to apply the sealant over decals, and rubber.
Above: With our process complete, we couldn’t wait to give it a try. The Velocity Visions Ceramic Coating truly beaded and wicked water quickly from the JetSki’s surface. Water wiped off quickly leaving no streaks or waterspots.
When applied and removed correctly (and repeated twice or even three times, per Velocity Vision’s request), the V3 Stealth Ceramic Coating is required to remain untouched for 24-to-36 hours to cure. Only then did we finally apply the Velocity Visions V1 Protective Detail & Seal spray. The easiest portion of the process, it’s merely sprayed on and wiped off, leaving a faint shine. Formulated to adhere and protect the vehicle’s exterior from harsh waterspots, chemicals, salt and UV rays, etc., what it doesn’t do is fill and mask scratches or swirls. Again, the Velocity Visions Powersports Ceramic Coating Kit is neither a wax nor polish, rather it is akin to applying a clear coat to your watercraft, except this clear coat is 10 times stronger than normal.
With our application complete, we tested its water beading abilities and were satisfied, but wanted to see how well it sized up against other “hydrophobic” brands. As an experiment, we taped off half of the SX-R’s nose, stripped the ceramic coating off with the V1 Surface Prep, and applied Meguiar’s Boat Cleaner Wax for gel coated fiberglass for a side-by-side comparison. The Meguiar’s wax went on easily, applied in a traditional overlapping swirl pattern, and wiped off quickly. Yet, when sprayed with the hose, the difference was clearly visible. The Velocity Visions-treated side beaded and wicked water twice as quickly as the waxed side. This was all the proof Velocity Visions’ claims needed.
Above left: To further exemplify the differences, we stripped the right side of the SX-R’s nose and applied Meguiar’s gel coat-specific Cleaner Wax, which also claims hydrophobic qualities. This shows the difference is final gloss and shine between a Velocity Visions-treated side (left) and a Meguiar’s waxed side (right). Above right: Here, both sides bead water well, but as illustrated, the Velocity Visions-treated side collects smaller beads and wicks water faster than the waxed side.
Above: To illustrate a common misconception about ceramic coatings, we attempted to wax an already-treated side of the SX-R to see if we could cover up some of the natural swirls and scratches in the ski’s surface. It’s better to properly prepare the surface with Velocity Visions’ Mach series of abrasive “cutting” polishes until you get a mirror finish before applying the V3 Stealth Ceramic Coating.
Since the V3 Stealth Ceramic Coating requires a completely virgin surface to adhere to, trying to apply it over wax won’t work. So in order to enjoy a high gloss, mirrored surface with a heavily protected-although-completely naked, hydrophobic surface, we had to do a little investigating. The Watercraft Journal spoke with GreenHulk’s Jerry Gaddis who explained,”Velocity Visions has its own line of abrasive polishes. Before you ever apply the ceramic coating process, you need to buff the surface with [Velocity Visions’] Mach 3 rubbing compound. Mach 2 is a cutting swirl remover and Mach 1 removes any halos or haze, leaving a perfectly flawless surface. Once you do that, then go and apply the coating.”
Now for the final takeaway: To fully enjoy a better-than-factory mirrored finish that can stand up to UV damage, salt and ocean residue, everything else nature can throw at it, we can see the Velocity Visions Powersports Ceramic Coating Kit simply not being enough. The entirety of the Velocity Visions line almost seems mandatory given the final result. Sure, for those who regularly maintain their watercraft, store it indoors and do the majority of their riding in fresh water, the excessively laborious process might not be for you. Yet, for those who ride offshore or in brackish, briny waters, units stored outside or rental outlets who simply cannot afford to detail their fleet after every busy weekend, investing the time, labor and money into a complete Velocity Visions polishes, coatings and sealants might be the most practical answer.
RIVA Racing swept the podium in a weekend packed full of controversy at the P1 AquaX race event in Sarasota, Florida on the weekend of July 1st & 2nd. Team racer Brian Baldwin picked up his first weekend victory of the 2017 season with fellow team racers Erminio Iantosca taking 2nd & Cyrille Lemoine taking home 3rd. Baldwin was riding his Yamaha GP1800 tuned with RIVA’s MaptunerX ECU reflash system. Iantosca was on a Sea-Doo RXP-X 300 and Lemoine on another Yamaha GP1800; both also tuned with RIVA’s MaptunerX.
As mentioned, the weekend was full of controversy and various issues. After results were adjusted because of a timing error in the only race on Saturday, only one race could be completed because of marine delays on Sunday. Baldwin put in a consistent performance the entire weekend, finishing in 2nd in Heat 1 and 4th in Heat 2, giving him enough points to edge out his fellow team mates and take home the victory. Although Iantosca won 1st in Heat 1, he finished in 14th place in Heat 2, giving him enough points to hold a solid second place victory for the weekend.
The biggest upset was world number one and reigning champion Chris MacClugage. Although he came in 1st place in Heat 2, a DNF in Heat 1 left him just off the podium in 4th place. RIVA’s Cyrille Lemoine rounded off the podium, finishing 4th in Heat 1 and 5th in Heat 2, giving him enough points to secure 3rd.
Continuing in the controversy was Eric Lagopolous who was disqualified due to a technical infringement just before podium celebrations; his results in Heat 1 and 2 gave him enough points to land on the podium. With a hand full of races in the left, it’s anybody’s game for the championship title.
Classical economics assumes that profit equals total revenue, minus total costs. Therefore, we can assume that PWC rental companies try to maximize their profit by generating maximum sales at the same time as reducing the cost of operations. In other words, this would mean using the cheapest available watercraft. This however, may not exactly be the case anymore.
When Sea-Doo first came out with the Spark lineup back in 2014, it was a revolutionary change in the Personal Watercraft Market. Perhaps the biggest shock was the price tag. When it was first introduced, the MSRP was just shy of $5,000 USD. This was the introduction of a new breed of personal watercraft; a new category called the “Rec-Lite” or light recreation category. In 2016, Yamaha announced its “Rec-Lite” entry for the 2017 season with the release of its EX Series WaveRunners.
With all of the new cheaper “rec-lite” sales going on in the consumer market, we here at The Watercraft Journal wondered how this would affect the rental market. In particular, would the rental companies adopt this strategy and continue to use the new and cheapest available category of units? It would certainly make sense if you consider the basic strategies of economics. We recently visited with some rental companies who are now using “rec-lite” models and got some very surprising insight. Some insight which gives indication that classic strategies are sometimes not so rewarding.
In the decade prior to the Rec-Lite category, we saw rental companies utilizing “recreation” category watercraft unanimously for their fleet. Whether it was Yamaha’s award winning VX-series Waverunners, Sea-Doo’s innovative GTS/GTI series, or Kawasaki’s tried-and-true STX-15F. According to manufacturer’s websites, the cheapest recreation category watercraft starts right around $7,700 USD but are generally priced around $9,600 for the SMC or fiberglass hull units traditionally used by rental companies. The cheapest Rec-Lite watercraft comes in at about $5,300 USD.
We caught up with a company called Lighthouse Inflatables LLC that used to rent Sea-Doo Sparks out of the Wolfsnare Creek section of Virginia Beach, VA. General Manager Zach Miller was helpful to answer many of our questions:
The Watercraft Journal: How long have you operated at your location and what different models of watercraft did you use for rentals?
Lighthouse Inflatables: We were at our 64th Street location for about 5 years doing paddle boards and other rentals and then got into jet ski rentals using Sea-Doo Sparks.
WCJ: What led you to choose the Sparks? How did you like the Sparks? Did you have good success using them for rentals?
LI: Cost was the influence that made us choose the Spark models. We actually had quite a few problems with the Sparks and it came to a point where we weren’t making much of a profit in our operation. The [Polytec] hulls were getting damaged and we had to keep replacing wear rings.
WCJ: What type of environment/water conditions were you operating in and do you know what the typical source of these damages was?
LI: The water depth does fluctuate depending on tides; customers would pull the watercraft up to the beach area – the hull damage was generally coming from constantly putting the watercraft on and off trailers or dry docks. The impact to the same area repeatedly would eventually put a hole in the hull. In rare cases, people would run into each other and obviously, there would be damage.
WCJ: How were your customers’ impression of the Sparks? Were there any complaints?
LI: Customer satisfaction was generally very good. No complaints that I am aware of. We had many repeat customers and I still have previous customers calling me these days to see if we have the Sparks for rent.
WCJ: We saw some Sea-Doo GTS’s when we came in, were those part of your rental fleet?
LI: Due to lots of downtime with the Spark models, we got some GTS models. Even though they were more expensive units, we had some better success; no mechanical issues or downtime. However, we are not operating rentals anymore. Another company bid for renting at this location now.
We then went and spent some time at Hampton Watersports LLC on Buckroe Beach in Hampton, VA. Owner Jeremy Churchill gave us some more insight. We found out that coincidentally, Jeremy was actually involved in the previous operations at Lighthouse Inflatables and had some further information about the Sea-Doo Sparks. Hampton Watersports currently rents Yamaha EX Sports and Sea-Doo GTI’s.
The Watercraft Journal: What led you to choose your current watercraft models for your rental fleet?
Hampton Watersports: Price was the driving factor. I knew I didn’t want to use Sparks again (we were using 3-up models without iBR) as we kept replacing wear rings and eventually went with stainless wear rings for more durability. I have friends in the industry who use Yamaha VX-series with good success, however, I wanted something lighter because we use Aquacarts to pull the skis on the beach. I also didn’t want a true 3-seater craft because when people fall off and can’t get back on, we have to rescue them and it gets hard with more than two people. I chose the Yamaha EX Sports. Sea-Doo also gave me some GTI models to try.
WCJ: Why did you choose the Sport model over the standard EX?
HW: We liked the idea of having the manual reverse lever and mirrors. In Virginia, rental companies are required to have a spotter watercraft going out with the renters so it is easier for our employees to maneuver and have rear views. It also has a rear boarding step.
[Jeremy did later admit to us that in hindsight, it may not be good to have the reverse lever as some of the young children who ride in front of their parents think the reverse lever is a handle to hold on to while riding.]
WCJ: Are there particular times when you prefer to use the larger Sea-Doo GTI models over the smaller Rec-Lite Yamaha EX’s?
HW: Yes. Operating in the Chesapeake Bay, sometimes it can get windy and create lots of chop. We have some guests where it just gets too rough for these lighter craft and we will put them on the GTIs instead. Also these Yamaha EX models are advertised to fit three people but there’s no way, they are just too light and unstable [with that much weight]. A lot of people flip over but we never have that problem on the GTI.
WCJ: Let’s talk fuel costs. Many of the recreation models have special keys or learner (rental) mode settings to keep speed and fuel consumption down. Since the Yamaha EX doesn’t have this mode, are you worried about new users going too fast?
HW: Honestly, most renters aren’t going above 20 MPH even though the units will do 50 MPH. It feels like you are going super-fast on the water when you are newer to riding. See that guy out there? Look at him. He thinks he’s flying; he’s only doing about 25 MPH. As for the Sea-Doo Spark, we had the 3-up models, and most people didn’t even know about the Sport mode to unlock the higher acceleration. Fuel burn is very low on both models. I didn’t see a difference in overall cost. The only thing is the Spark has a smaller tank and we were filling up twice a day where we can get through the day on the Yamaha.
WCJ: What about reliability of the Yamaha EX model?
HW: Overall, I’ve not had many problems. We are seeing wear on the hull from pulling the units on the Aquacart. The hull SMC is only painted and not gel coated like the larger recreation models and so you can see the paint rubbing off. I’m not too worried yet – not until I begin to see damage going in and exposing fiberglass. We’ve also had issues on the wear rings; they are getting scrapped up but the units are still running. They just have some cavitation and reduced acceleration. We are also occasionally seeing small rocks and debris getting into the water cooling ports and clogging the rear water spout sprayer.
There are some definite benefits as well as drawbacks to using Rec-Lite watercraft as opposed to their larger, more stable recreation counterparts. We do have a lot of seat time on Sea-Doo’s Spark as on the newly-released Yamaha EX model and we are impressed with both. Any type of watercraft used in the rental business is naturally going to take a beating especially with some of the crowds who have the “ride it like you stole it” mentality. In some cases, units can even get operated outside of manufacturer recommended limits (considering water depth minimums), and certain procedures and requirements for pulling up to a beach or trailer.
It certainly makes sense from a price standpoint that rental companies would initially consider Rec-Lite models. Ultimately, customer satisfaction and demand will be the only determining factor. Does the quick, nimbleness of a Rec-Lite give them excitement? Or do they require a stable, enjoyable ride with the whole family on a larger unit? Let’s face it, some of these rental spots in ocean areas can get physically demanding. As we have certainly seen during our investigation, it might be a worthwhile investment to keep a few recreation models in the stable.
The IJSBA (International Jet Sports Boating Association) is very pleased to announce the new title sponsor for the 2017 World Finals; Blowsion. Blowsion has a deep legacy with regards to the World Finals. Plans for Blowsion to eventually sponsor the World Finals began back in 2013, when IJSBA and Blowsion teamed up to bring the Saturday Night Under The Bridge Show back to Lake Havasu City after an unfortunate absence of more than a decade. Since Blowsion has title sponsored this show since its inception, they will be doing double duties this year, maintaining their role as the Under The Bridge Show sponsor while being the top, overall sponsor of the World Finals. IJSBA thanks them for their dedicated support.
“This exciting partnership is intended as aggressive commitment to ensure that traditional Ski type Personal Watercraft remains the center focus of the sport. Blowsion’s involvement, at this level, also heralds their expansion into new portions, of the PWC sport, bringing unparalleled style, design, and performance to competitors and enthusiasts”, says The IJSBA.
If you haven’t heard of Blowsion, we’ll give you a quick rundown. 25 years ago, a small team of PWC enthusiasts set up a booth at a World Finals event back in the early 1990s. Lead by the late John Dady, the group displayed hulls and helmets painted in beautiful designs. These designs were new to the PWC world and took the community by storm, becoming the top standard in the watercraft community. Today, Blowsion’s designs are the most sought after on the face of the planet, with painted watercraft and helmets being shipped to nearly every nation on the planet!
To remember and celebrate John Dady, Blowsion will be unveiling new visual works of art as well as some exciting new products at the World Finals.
